A Shadow by Any Other Name
by HypernovaSonic
Summary: A dark hedgehog struggles with his inner-self. His emotions leaving him unsure of what he wants. Even when he believes he should be happy, he can't bring himself to hold on to the joy. He wonders if he can ever truly find how he could be happy. (Rated T just to be safe)(Shadamy)
1. Chapter 1

**HypernovaSonic- I wanted to do something different. This is a bit shorter than what I normally write, and I'm not too keen when it comes to romance or romantic emotions. Hope this turns out alright despite that, though!**

* * *

She awakened something from within me. I tried to forget things, but it was as if just the sight of her reminded of them. She brings me joy... or sadness... I'm not exactly sure. Most importantly, if it wasn't for her words the ground underneath my feet possibly wouldn't be there right now, and neither would her hero. The energetic blur with enough attitude to fit right at home in a whole decade 90's commercials.

That hedgehog held her attention far too much for her to be interested in me. Though I'm not even sure if I want her attention. These emotions are just too hard for me to understand. The girl herself is also too complicated for me to understand. She obsesses over that blue hedgehog like he's the only other living thing in the world, she would never give anyone else the time of day she gives to him.

All these thoughts are running through my head, causing my heart to race, making it impossible to walk up to that beautiful pink girl right now. I was standing in a park. Sonic decided to have a picnic for his fox friend's birthday, with it nearing the end of summer and the temperatures dropping slightly it seemed like the perfect idea to him. I was somehow dragged into planning the party, but I didn't help all too much. It was as if Sonic kept me around for some sort of emotional support or something like that, although I didn't believe I was providing anything.

I'd assume all of the hedgehog's friends showed up, but I didn't care enough to keep track of them all. Despite all of the mobians there, _her_ eyes were stuck on those azure quills, making it all the harder to approach her. The blue hero would usually run whenever she was near, but they both seemed more relaxed, standing by each other. She looked content despite the hedgehog not giving her attention, and rather eating a chili dog while talking with his twin-tailed friend.

Many others were sitting at a picnic table nearby, enjoying other foods and talking among themselves. But something felt off, as if something was missing. "Hey!" a voice suddenly shouted from behind me. I quickly swung myself around in shock to find the figure standing behind me to be Silver the Hedgehog.

My shock quickly left as I gave the hedgehog a light sigh. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "That blue faker didn't find some way to ruin the future for you, did he?"

"Oh, no, everything's normal back home, I just felt like being here for Tails' birthday," Silver responded.

"Well... okay," I responded, expecting a more urgent situation. "Um... Well, it's great to see you then," I added, putting out my hand for a handshake.

"Yeah, great to see you too!" Silver responded as he took my hand, giving it a slightly rough shake. "You seem a bit more friendly than usual," he then commented.

"It's a nice day," I replied. "And I have my mind on other things at the moment."

There was a short bit of silence before the young hedgehog began talking again. "You obviously want to go over there," he started. "Why don't you just go?"

The question left me a bit annoyed. "Why don't _you_ go over there?" I retorted. "Nobody even knows you're here yet."

Silver let out a light sigh before replying with a simple "alright," and walking over to the others. I tried making myself comfortable, walking over and leaning against a nearby tree. But I was anything but comfortable, I was still thinking of her. She had given Silver some attention when he had walked up to them, but before I knew it her eyes were back on those matching emeralds of his. And yet he was still smiling, not trying to run away as would be usual. _She was slipping away._

I just kept thinking, but I couldn't bring myself to do anything about it. I hadn't even walked over and told the fox happy birthday, partially because I honestly didn't care too much, but mainly because she was still standing there. I knew I was doing this to myself, I just needed to push myself to walk over there. I could use wishing Tails a happy birthday as an excuse to walk over, then maybe I could get more courage to say something to her. So that's what I did.

"Hey, Tails!" I called out as I approached. A few of the others around him turned to me, I assume surprised that I was attempting to be social. "Happy birthday!" I finished with a bit of a forced smile as I stopped in front of the fox.

There was a short pause. "Thanks Shadow," Tails eventually replied, sounding slightly confused. "I'm honestly just surprised you helped out with planning this."

"Oh, you shouldn't be," I replied. "I didn't have too much to do with this."

"C'mon Shads, don't put yourself down!" Sonic chimed in as he put an arm over my shoulder. "You were a great help!" he finished. The hedgehog loved giving people encouragement, despite me honestly not deserving it.

"Alright, whatever. Thanks," I replied simply as I moved out from under his arm.

"No prob', bud!" he responded, giving me a light punch on the arm. The hedgehog showed me a light smile and a wink before turning his attention back to Tails. And with his attention gone, so was her's. I tried to say something to her, but I choked up, unable to say a thing. After a short time, Silver noticed my intentions.

He gave me a small grin before tapping her on the shoulder, keeping his eyes on me. She turned around, following Silver's line of sight until her eyes landed on me. "Yes?" she asked simply. _I froze._

"I... uh, well I... um..." is all I could get out. I looked like a fool, mumbling and stuttering over myself without being able to form a coherent thought.

"Come on Shadow, don't you have something to say?" Silver asked. She looked confused. I found myself shaking. I swallowed hard, finally trying to force some words out.

"Well... I was... wondering... uh..." I was looking down at the ground, watching my legs shake rapidly.

"Hey everyone!" Sonic suddenly called out, grabbing everyone's attention. "It's been a great time, but Tails and I are gonna be heading home now!"

"Oh, come on Sonic! Let's keep this party going!" Knuckles called out.

"Well..." the blue hedgehog started, but was cut off by many others excitedly agreeing with Knuckles. "Alright, fine. Let's go everyone!" And off they all went, including her, completely forgetting about me. I stood there for a moment, unsure if I should follow them.

"Let's go, Shadow," Silver suddenly said. I was confused for a second, believing I was alone until he spoke up.

"Why should I?" I asked. "I've already squandered my chances."

"Come on, don't be like that! You just need to relax! Trust me, you can talk to her!"

That hedgehog knew how to be inspiring with the simplest of words. "Alright, let's go then."

* * *

We soon found ourselves at Tails' workshop in the Mystic Ruins. The workshop was fairly small, so despite moving the party to a new location, we were all still outside. The view was relaxing though, standing on the edge of the cliff and looking out over the seemingly unending ocean, hundreds of waves creating beautiful shapes on the surface below. I looked to the side, seeing another figure looking out at the water.

 _It was her._ She stood there, taking in the view despite all of her friends conversing and laughing a short distance behind us at the workshop. I didn't know why she was alone, but this finally gave me a chance. "Uh... hi," I said simply as I approached. _No turning back now._

"Oh, hi Shadow," she replied, giving me a light smile as I stopped beside her. "How's it going?"

"I'm alright, thanks," I answered awkwardly. "So... sorry for acting so weird earlier."

"Don't worry about it!" she said, giving me a larger, reassuring smile. My heart was racing, but I wasn't exactly scared... Well maybe I was a little, but it felt as if I was simply more excited than anything.

"So, how have you been recently?" I asked, wanting to hear her talk again.

"I'm doing well, thanks Shadow," she paused for a second, looking down at the ground. "Well... besides being pretty tired. It's just been a long day." She sat down, hanging her legs over the edge of the cliff. I decided to sit next to her, keeping some distance out of fear of making her uncomfortable.

"I can understand that," I responded, still too choked up to be entirely sure what to say. "So... what's going on with you and Sonic?" I asked, slightly regretting bringing him up right after saying it.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked back. "Does it seem like something's going on?"

"Oh, no! Not really," I answered quickly. "It's just that you two seem more relaxed around each other recently."

"Well that doesn't mean anything," she reassured me. "We've both just matured a bit. I've stopped pestering him to be with me, and he's stopped running away from me."

I was a bit confused by her explanation. "So, do you not have feelings for him anymore?"

"No, that's not what I mean. I won't just stop caring about him the way I have, but I need to learn that if he doesn't want to be with me, then it's just not meant to be." I was a bit amazed by her words. It was still her, and yet she seemed so different from the girl I met when I was still working for Eggman, so much more understanding.

"That sounds nice," I said, the words now coming more naturally than before. She looked at me, seeming a but confused. "You know, finally coming to terms with someone after spending so long wanting different things."

"Yeah, it really is nice," she responded, turning her sight back towards the ocean. "This looks amazing, doesn't it?"

"It sure does," I replied, though I wasn't looking at the water, but rather at her. We sat in silence for a short while, watching as the sun began to touch the horizon. I'm not sure when it happened, but it seemed like the space between us had closed drastically. We were now only mere inches apart. It felt peaceful, being this close to her. The stress and uncertainty I had earlier that same day had completely melted away, leaving me with nothing but joy in this moment.

I heard the noise behind us dying down. I looked back to see people saying their goodbyes. I looked back to see her still looking out over the ocean. I gave her a small tap and pointed back at the others. "Seems like the party's over," I explained.

"Guess I should head home then," she said with a light laugh. "Wow, how long were we sitting here?"

"Not exactly sure. It was nice, though," I let slip out, unsure if I was being too straightforward.

"Yeah, that was nice. Thanks for keeping me company," she responded. My heart began to race again. I was so captivated by the feelings she was giving me that I could barely think as she began walking away.

"Wait! Amy!" I eventually called out reaching out and grabbing her arm.

"Woah! Sorry, Shadow," she reacted. "Did you have something to say?"

"Uh... Sorry," I started. "I was wondering if... you would like to meet up for lunch tomorrow?"

She thought about the question for a moment, then gave me a smile, "Sure, that sounds nice."

"Great! So, do you want to meet at Central Station, then?"

"Sure! See you then, Shadow," she replied, turning away and leaving with a small wave. I waved back, giving her a light smile.

"See you, Amy," I said before turning back towards the ocean. It was a few moments before Sonic walked up to me.

"Hey, Shadow. So, how long you planning to hang out?" he asked.

"Oh, I was just about to leave. See you later, Sonic." And with that I set off.

"Uh, Yeah! See ya, Shadow!" the blue hedgehog called out as I was leaving. I probably would have said something to Tails, but I was too distracted to say anything. All I was thinking about at the time was the next day. I couldn't wait to see what excitement the next day could possibly bring.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up feeling... well, nothing. Looking at the large room around me, and down at soft, silk-covered bed. I didn't have any reason to be upset. Honestly, the benefits of a government job have been amazing. Despite that, I couldn't find happiness in the moment. _Just... nothing._ I just sat in bed, losing track of time, trying to think, but nothing ever coming.

I looked over at the clock on my nightstand; _8:00 a.m._ Four hours with nothing to. Despite how I felt, I had to do something. I forced myself out of bed, slipping on my regular gloves and shoes before leaving my room. I descended the stairs slowly, wanting to eat up as much time as possible. I made a quick breakfast, a plain piece of toast, and took my time finishing it off.

Deciding to leave, I checked the time once again as I made my way towards the door; _8:08._ I let out a disappointed sigh as I opened my front door. The warm air pouring in blew against my fur, sending a strange feeling through my body; a feeling that I couldn't exactly define as uncomfortable or pleasant. I stepped out into the sun, taking in the sights of the small neighborhood that I've seen again and again. Looking at the houses around me, I for some reason found myself questioning if any of these people knew me. I mean, even if they did know, would they care? They may care about the artificial being made with alien DNA as the "Ultimate Lifeform", meant to be used to cure deadly illnesses, but that's not who I am, just what I am. I pondered the thought, wondering if I even knew who I was.

I shook the thought from my mind, realizing it would completely take over my mind if I let it, the feelings it would leave me with likely forcing me back into bed for the rest of the day. I was only a few miles away from Station Square, so making it there would take almost no time at all. I needed to find some way to preoccupy myself for the next few hours, so for the time being, I started walking. As I made my way down the street, I glanced around, just hoping that something would happen, anything to distract me, even for a short time. I wanted to feel something, the nothingness somehow feeling as if it was a weight on my shoulders.

My eyes turned towards the ground, as if I could somehow find something to distract myself. I started counting my steps, anything to keep me preoccupied. I don't know exactly how long I counted, but I must have been around one hundred when I suddenly bumped into something. I quickly backed up, confused, until I glanced up the see the face of a simple-minded purple cat. He hadn't even noticed me, even after having run into him. "Hey," I called out simply. "Is there a problem?"

"Oh!" the cat exclaimed, suddenly noticing me. "Have you seen Fwoggy around here?" he asked as he leaned down to talk to me, his slurred, awkwardly pronounced words slightly irritating me. Despite that, I felt blessed to finally have something to do.

"I haven't, but I can help look," I answered. The cat cheered before suddenly scooping me up into a hug. It felt like an excruciatingly long time before he had stopped crushing me and decided to put me down. Before I knew it, he was running off to look for his frog, I guess trusting me to somehow find him again if I did end up finding the thing. I looked around, getting an idea of where I was. I somehow ended up only a short walk from Station Square. _Okay, so maybe it was closer to four hundred steps..._

I wasn't sure where to start looking, so I made my way into the city, assuming the cat had the right idea going that way himself. As usual, the city streets were extremely crowded. I had no idea how anyone would be able to find a little frog in this mess. Before I knew it, I found myself nearing Central Station. _And there was the cat, again._ He was standing by the hotel, glancing around as if he was unsure where to go.

"Have you found your frog yet?" I asked as I walked up to him.

"No..." he replied simply, his ears drooping slightly as he looked at the ground. I found myself feeling a bit sorry for him, but I wasn't sure how to help finding a frog in all of Station Square. I glanced over at Central Station, a green speck in the distance catching my eye.

"Hey! There it is!" I called out, tapping the cat before making my way in the direction of the creature. I saw the frog going around a turn towards City Hall, narrowly dodging all of cars passing by. I sped up, urgent to catch the frog before anything happened. In a few seconds, I was on top of the small creature, trying to get my hands on it as it hopped around the street, getting constant honking from the cars around me. Suddenly, I saw one of the cat's brown gloves grab the frog from right in front of my face.

He pulled the frog close, now looking extremely happy as he danced around with the thing. He then turned to me, thanking me and shaking my hand. I assured him that it was no issue before he ran off and into Central Station. Now that I was done with that situation, my feelings began leaving me, which left me empty once again. I moved back onto the sidewalk, glancing around, wondering if I should have invested in getting a watch.

"Excuse me?" I called out to a nearby man, who looked urgent to get somewhere quickly. "Do you have the time?" I asked.

"Uh, 11:46," he answered quickly as he looked down at his watch, speeding off before even looking at me again.

"Thanks..." I said quietly, despite the fact that I knew he wasn't listening. _Only fourteen minutes, not sure if I can even wait that long._ I made my way over to the station, taking a seat on the first step. I found myself looking around, hoping she would, for some reason, show up early. Each minute seemed to pass like an hour as I waited, constantly trying to focus on something as to not leave my mind empty.

"Hey Shadow!" I suddenly heard a voice call out. I turned to see Amy approaching from the station doors.

"Hi, Amy," I said simply as I stood up, waiting for her to descend the stairs. "Thank you for coming," I added as she reached me.

"No problem, Shadow," she replied with a smile. "It's gonna be nice being able to spend time with you for a change." That smile got me good. I felt a warm feeling raise inside of me as a large smile grew on my own face. "So, where did you want to go?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"Well... I was thinking about going to the burger shop near City Hall," I replied, immediately feeling as if I had made a poor choice.

Amy began to let out a small laugh. "Gee, you _really_ know how to flatter a girl. Don't you, Shadow?" I guess my disappointment with myself was obvious, as she quickly added, "Oh, it's not a problem, though! I don't mind where we go." She just stood there, smiling at me. The thoughts of my foolishness faded away as I became lost in her eyes.

I soon snapped back to reality, not sure how long we had been standing there. "Sh-should we get going?" I suddenly asked, snapping Amy out of her own trance.

"Oh! Yeah, right. Let's go," she responded, giving me a smile as she took lead, making her way toward the restaurant. After a moment of watching her walk away, I snapped out of yet another daze and began to follow closely behind. I walked up next to her, wanting to reach out for her hand, but feeling too awkward to do so. It was only a short walk until we made our way to the burger shop. Walking in, there were only a few others in there, some small conversations, and two or three people who shot a glance our way as they heard the door move.

We took a seat, and a waiter came up a few minutes later. We said our orders and the waiter walked off, leaving the two of us alone once again. I looked into her eyes, and she looked back at mine. "It's nice to finally get to spend time with you, Shadow," she eventually said. "It seemed like you never wanted to hang out with anyone."

She wasn't wrong. I usually found myself uninterested when it came to spending time with most of the blue hedgehog's friends, but she was different. She helped me feel ways that I don't think I've felt since I was on the ARK. There it goes again, my thoughts of her bringing back memories that I've all but forgotten, stirring up my emotions in a way that's hard for me to understand. "I haven't really given it a chance before," I responded. "As it turns out, you're really pleasant to be around." I gave her a light smirk, showing that the realization was anything but a surprise.

She giggled lightly at my response before we both fell back into silence, gazing into each other's eyes once again. We eventually got our food, and we enjoyed it, but not as much as we just enjoyed being there, with each other. We kept talking, random topics coming out of nowhere, just so we could keep listening to each other. I was laughing, and smiling, but at some point, the feeling somehow started to fade away. I tried chasing it, to catch the feeling before it went too far, but it just went further, as if trying to escape me for some reason I couldn't understand.

She put her hand on the table, inviting me to take it. I put my hand over hers, melting back into the relaxed feeling that was running away just seconds ago. "You look a little stressed. Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Oh, no! Nothing's... uh- everything's fine," I stumbled through saying, obviously showing I was lying.

"I hope you don't suddenly have a problem with me, Shadow."

"No, you're wonderful," I said quickly, taking hold of her arms, a shocked look appearing in her eyes. I slowly pulled away, dropping my head into my hand. "Sorry..." I started with a sigh. "I just... feel stressed about something... indescribable, and I don't want you thinking this is your fault." Amy reached out to me, resting a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry, Shadow," she said. "I'll be here to help you figure this out." I looked up at her, seeing her warm, beautiful smile, and I gave her one back, causing her smile to grow wider. We continued back and forth until we just ended up giggling at each other, our joy growing just by looking at each other.

"You definitely make things easier," I clarified. We sat together for a short time, finishing our food and simply enjoying being with one another. We eventually left the diner, me being completely unsure where to go next.

"Why don't we head to the park?" Amy suggested. "It could probably help you relax."

"Sounds great," I responded simply, the grand smile given by her presence never leaving my face. We soon found ourselves at the same park the party was held yesterday. It was nice being out there, away from all the people. Away from the suffocating mass of the public. We eventually just sat down on the grass, simply letting the overwhelming feeling of relaxation wash over us.

After a short time, I had decided to break the silence. "Thank you..." I said simply.

"What's that?" Amy questioned.

"I mean, thank you for caring so much," I started. "You've made me feel ways no one else had been able to for a long time."

Her smile grew and she slowly closed her eyes as she laid back, resting her head on my shoulder. "I'm happy to have been such a help," She said sweetly.

I took a moment, working up the courage to get out my next words. "... I... love you, Amy," I eventually got out. Her surprised reaction, despite being slightly restrained, was still obvious. I tensed up, wondering if I may have somehow misinterpreted how she felt.

"I..." She sat up, spinning around and throwing her arms around me. "I love you too, Shadow!" She took a moment before pulling away, keeping her arms on my shoulders. We locked eyes, our faces mere inches apart. Her eyelids slowly lowered once again as she began to lean in. _My heart was racing._ I wasn't sure what to do for a short moment, but I was able to quickly relax, letting my eyes close as I leaned in myself.

Our lips met, my heart beating even faster. I reached out, taking hold of her and bringing her in close. Neither of us wanted to pull away, the kiss becoming more intense and passionate as the seconds passed. Our breath soon became heavy, the heat we began radiating feeling almost intoxicating, and so comforting. We held each other close, our bodies pressed together, as if we were attempting to get even closer. Eventually, we reluctantly pulled away, pure bliss still present on both of our faces.

While we were distracted, the sun had begun to set. I stood up, taking hold of Amy's hand to bring her to her feet. "Wow..." She reacted simply, her legs seemingly weak as she fell into my arms. I couldn't help but chuckle a little, getting a jokingly annoyed groan out of the pink girl.

"Here," I started, as I lifted Amy off her feet. "How about I carry back to Central Station?" Amy's face, which was already showed a small amount of blush, was quickly covered with a bright shade of red.

"J-just out of the park is fine..." she responded, obviously embarrassed.

"Alright, then," I responded with a chuckle. We later found ourselves back at the station, Amy back on her own two feet.

"Thanks for such a good day, Shadow," she said as we stopped in front of the station's steps.

"No, thank you," I said back. "I honestly probably would have spent the day in bed if not for you," I admitted. She walked up, bringing me into yet another hug.

"Thank you for trying for me, Shadow." The words meant so much. I felt like I could break down and cry, not from sadness, but the pure, expanding joy she unleashed onto me. "So," she started as she pulled away. "got any plans for tomorrow?" she asked.

"Do you?" I asked back.

"Yes, actually," she responded, to my disappointment. "Blaze and I were going to go shopping for stuff for her new place."

"New place?" I questioned simply.

"Yeah, she thought it'd be nice to have her own place instead of staying with Vanilla and Cream every time she's here."

"Good to know..." I didn't know what I was going to do tomorrow. Who knows, maybe I'd get lucky and get called in to investigate something for GUN, but at that point I wasn't sure. "See you the day after, then?" I inquired.

"Sure!" Amy replied with a large smile. "Can't wait," she added with a wink. With that, she began making her way up the steps. "See you then, Shadow!"

"See you then!" I called back, waving to her as she passed through the station doors. I made my way back home, the bliss experienced that day still resonating within me. I eventually made it home and headed to my bedroom, sill feeling nice hints of joy washing over me. However, as I climbed under my covers and prepared for the night, I couldn't help but have the happiness begin to flee, my soul's bright, amazing state being stripped away, leaving a dark hole. _I had returned to this all too familiar state, a state that left me feeling... well, nothing._


	3. Chapter 3

I left my home the next day feeling unsure what to do. I couldn't just shove myself into Amy's plans, but I had none myself. I eventually decided to head into Station Square yet again, seeing as how I was able to slightly preoccupy myself there the day before, and I definitely needed some sort of distraction. I couldn't waste my time walking there again, it gave my mind too much time to wander, and I didn't want to resort to counting my steps again. I was running through the suburban neighborhood, almost certainly awaking anyone who may have been sleeping in with the sound my speed created. Eventually, the sidewalk and homes disappeared, leaving only the road for just a few moments until the massive buildings of Station Square appeared in my view. I began slowing down, eventually coming to a halt just short of the first skyscraper.

Taking my first steps into the city, I took a look around, noting everything seeming exactly the same as it was yesterday, nothing surprising. _Crowded, bland, and miserable._ That's how it was for a few minutes as I began making my way further into the city, where things seemed to at least be a little more lively. I found my gaze randomly drifting about until, suddenly, there was something that stood out among the sea of muted, dry colors. There was a familiar figure standing by a hot dog vendor, a figure that simply radiated energy, sporting blue fur and shiny, red shoes.

I was tempted to turn around, wondering if staying in bed with my thoughts all day may have actually been a good idea. That was, until I heard him. "Hey!" he called out, waving at me as he received a chili dog from the vendor. Before I even got a chance to try and turn around, the hedgehog had run up right beside me. "How's it going, Shadow?" he asked, holding the same, inviting grin he gave to everyone else.

"Fine," I replied simply, avoiding direct eye contact. I began walking, just for him to start following me.

"You sure?" he questioned. "You look like you have something eating you up." He really knew just how to read people, but I was in no place to explain that he was part of what was bothering me.

"Really, I'm just fine," I stated with the same tone I had used before.

He thought for a moment, eventually replying with an unsure expression, "Well... alright." Suddenly, he perked back up, "So, whatcha doing here?" He didn't seem to want to slow down on the questions.

"Not sure yet," I responded, relieved to finally say something truthful.

"Well, I don't have any plans either," he said. "Guess that means we can figure out together!"

"Great," I replied, not trying to hide my disappointment.

"Oh, c'mon Shadow, I'm sure we could find something fun to do together." His persistence was... well, I want to say it was infuriating, but it was more impressive if anything. He was really trying to make me feel better. It wasn't necessarily working, but he _was_ trying.

A small smirk appeared on my face, "Alright, have any ideas?" He stood still for a moment, pondering.

"You mind holding this?" he suddenly asked, holding his chili dog out to me. I reluctantly took hold of it, and he sped off, out of my sight in merely a second. I only waited about half a minute until the blue hedgehog sped back to the same spot he just left, taking his food out of my hand. "Sorry, helps clear the mind a bit, and seeing some sights could help me figure something out too." I simply gave him a light nod as he seemed to return to thinking. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers, his smile growing.

"Got something?" I asked simply.

"Well, not exactly," he replied awkwardly. "I just remembered I agreed to help Blaze move in to her new place later today, so you can tag along then if you want."

I wondered if Amy would be there too, but didn't bother bringing that up. "Guess we're gonna have to wait a while, then?" I ended up asking.

"Not too long," he replied. "Only about two hours." I suddenly realized that I hadn't checked any clocks before leaving my house. I turned my attention to the sky for a brief moment, realizing it was definitely at least noon. I guess I must have stayed in bed too long. I shook the embarrassed feeling away, hoping he hadn't noticed. I hadn't seen him start eating it, but he was already half way done with his chili dog. "There's this real nice cafe a few blocks from here," he said, thankfully after swallowing. "Ya like lattes, coffee?"

"Please," I reply in a jokingly desperate tone, getting a snicker from the hedgehog. For a moment, I felt strangely relaxed. He was able to do that so well, if even only for a moment.

"Great, let's get moving, then!" he said as he took the lead, deciding not to run as to finish off his chili dog. I have to admit, he made it hard to dislike him, but there's just something about him. It may be that he's just so consistently happy, it seems fake, or maybe I'm just annoyed by his voice. There's also the possibility that I'm scared by how close he is to Amy. Amy did say that there was nothing between them, but that doesn't mean that there won't be anything in the future. After all, she did say that she has feelings for him.

 _What if he suddenly decided he had feelings for her? What if she, after years of rejection and sadness, just let herself get swept up by him the moment there was any attraction on his side? What's stopping her, it's not like we really have anything set in stone, do we? We went on a date, and we had that moment in the park, but we're not even officially together or anything. I don't even know if I'd say we're technically dating- Wait, she said she loves me! Oh, but that could mean anything, she was saying she loved him for years! Am I really judging her like that? Oh no what if I don't deserve her?! What if-_

"We're here!" the blue hero announced, causing me to snap back into reality. I turned to look at the shop. It was a small place, not very busy. We made our way in and got our drinks. I got simple black coffee while my company got some other complicated drink with about eight syllables in the name. Taking our seats, he had his eyes trained on me, and he didn't seem to want to move them.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, clearly showing how bothered I was.

"Just thinking is all," he replied with a light grin, still not moving his eyes. I began leaning slightly, side to side, just to watch his eyes follow my movements. "You really don't seem to be doing well," he said suddenly, striking me with confusion. "I know you said you were fine, but ya sure you're not worried about something?"

"Nothing at all," I replied, foolishly turning my gaze towards a nearby window.

"C'mon, Shadow..." he said, sounding disappointed. "Why can't you talk about how you're doing?"

"Because there's nothing to talk about," I said sternly, struggling to act normally.

"What, too good for me or something?" he asked, his more cocky attitude finally rearing its ugly head. "Gotta say, Shadow, it kinda hurts a bit. I mean, do you keep things from everyone else too?"

"I don't tell anyone anything," I ended up saying angrily, not entirely thinking about my words. "All I've ever admitted are my feelings to Amy."

He was quiet for a moment, seemingly unsure what to say. "Wow, two shockers in one!" he eventually said with a light chuckle. I stood up, ready to walk away in embarrassment. "How does she feel?" the hedgehog suddenly asked. To my surprise, he appeared to be genuinely interested. I slowly sat back down, trying to find my words.

"She said she loves me," I replied with a light smile.

"That's awesome, dude!" he said before becoming slightly more concerned. "But uh... why didn't you want to say anything?"

I took some time to respond, still not sure how exactly to voice my feelings, even after I had said something. "I just don't particularly like being around you too much."

"Oh, well... sorry," he eventually said, appearing more upset than I had ever seen him before. "I'll... just leave if you want-"

"No," I cut in. "I don't like you, but I'm not sure why I don't. I'd like to figure things out."

"Oh, cool," he responded. "So, how exactly do you feel?"

"I don't know..." I said foolishly. "There's just... something off."

"Well... I am... a bit of a jerk, aren't I?" he said with an awkward smile. "Also, and I don't mean to blame you or anything, but you seem kinda sensitive." He definitely wasn't wrong.

"Some things you've said have hit a nerve, even if you didn't mean for it to."

"Sorry about that..." There was yet another moment of silence, both of us unsure what to say.

"I think I'm scared," I eventually said, causing the hedgehog sitting across from me to become confused. "Amy makes me happier than anyone has in a long time, and I don't want to lose that just because she still loves you. I guess... I'm sorta blaming you for how Amy feels." _More silence._ "Stupid, I know..."

"No, I think I get it," he replied quickly. "You're emotional, scared, confused. You're afraid that you can't do good enough, and you're putting that blame on others." It was amazing how well he understood, but he wasn't done. "Then you're angry, because you shouldn't blame others, but then you just feel worse because you're putting all that blame on yourself. And you just feel so _guilty!_ Not only because of the misplaced blame, but because you know that you can't help everyone! You think about the ones you _didn't_ save! The thought of pain and loss, it just tears at you and-" he suddenly cut himself off, looking at me with a frightened expression.

"Sorry..." he said, now taking his turn to stand up. The hedgehog began moving away.

"Sonic, wait!" I quickly called out, taking hold of his arm. "I'm... sorry for blaming you," I said, trying to make it mean more than just those simple words. I saw tears forming in his eyes. He threw himself on me, and suddenly I was sharing a hug with the hedgehog I didn't even want to be around not too long ago. He eventually ended up pulling away wiping tears out of his eyes.

"Thank you," he said quietly. I caught sight of a clock on the wall as Sonic moved away, reading 2:56.

"When's Blaze going to be needing us?" I asked. The blue hedgehog took a quick look around, his surprise growing as he spotted the clock.

"Oh!" he said in shock. "Let's finish these up and head over there!" I looked down at my coffee, almost completely full, and cold. I only took a few sips before we left, Sonic leading the way to our destination. He decided not to go too fast, wanting to spend more time talking. At one point, we had begun talking about Amy. "You're lucky she was never obsessed with you!" he said. "You have no idea how annoying it is for her to chase you everywhere."

"I might have been okay with it," I replied. "It would have made it easier to tell her how I feel." We talked about other things, just learning a bit about each other. I learned that Sonic stayed in Tails's workshop whenever he wasn't out exploring, and he learned of the living benefits my job had given me. I learned that chili dogs were his favorite food, and we both learned that I wasn't sure what mine was.

Finally we reached Blaze's home, just in time as it seemed. There was a moving truck stopped in front of the house, and the back was being opened up by the purple cat herself. Sonic's fox and echidna friends were standing nearby, and right next to Blaze, stood Amy. "Hey guys!" Sonic called out as we approached, the others seemingly surprised to see me. I felt myself pull back slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Amy ran up to me, melting the embarrassment away with her presence. "Hey Shadow!" she said joyously, taking hold of my hand. "We weren't expecting you."

"Well, you know Sonic," I started jokingly. "he just had to drag me along." The three of us laughed together.

"Hi Shadow. Come to help out?" Blaze asked as we approached.

"Might as well," I replied. "Didn't really have anything else to do."

"Great to hear, because Amy can't help but pick out as many things as possible," She said, referring to the large load present in the truck.

"I don't see how it could take too long with all six of us," the echidna responded, him and Tails now deciding to walk over.

"Let's get started, then!" Sonic said enthusiastically. We all got to work, carrying many different types of furniture into the house. Thinking about how things had gone with Sonic today made me want to try talking with the others.

"So, how are things going?" I asked the fox, who was carrying a small table into the house.

"It's been fine," he answered simply. "Just, you know how things always seem a little less exciting or fun for a few days after your birthday or Christmas or something like that."

"Yeah..." I replied, not exactly relating to the statement, I assume not having a birthday enjoyable enough to understand the feeling.

"Showoff!" I heard Sonic shout, turning to see Knuckles carrying a large couch by himself.

"I'm not a showoff, you just weren't helping me!" he said in an annoyed tone. Suddenly, the echidna tripped, the couch slipping from his hands. I sped over, catching the other side. "Whew! Thanks Shadow," Knuckles said, giving me a light grin. I smiled back as we brought the couch inside. The moment we cleared the doorway, Sonic got to work, speeding in and out of the house, making quick work of most of the load. He then stopped in the doorway, the rest of us just staring at him,

"What? I would have done it sooner, but you guys were in the way!" he explained, his familiar cocky attitude showing up once again. Some simply gave the hedgehog a sigh as we all continued to work. We finished up soon after, and were all standing in Blaze's living room.

"Thanks for helping out, everyone," the cat said. "It'd probably be nice to have a housewarming party or something, but I'm not sure how much more I can do today."

"That's cool," Sonic spoke up. "We could do something later this week, if you want."

"Yeah, that could work," Blaze replied simply. "I... might need some help making plans, though." Amy appeared as if she was about to speak up before Sonic cut in.

"I can help out," he commented, taking a step closer to the cat.

"Oh! Thank you Sonic," she said, a light blush appearing on her face. We all soon decided to leave, Tails and Knuckles taking off as Sonic, Amy, and I stopped shortly away from the front yard.

"So, do the lovebirds have any plans?" the blue hedgehog asked slyly, causing Amy's face to quickly turn red.

"Shadow..." Amy groaned, burying her face into my chest in embarrassment.

I laughed uncomfortably before replying. "Sorry, he kinda worked it out of me," I explained. Sonic snickered a little as Amy pulled away, holding her head low as she did.

"Come on, Amy. No need to be embarrassed," the blue hedgehog said, noticing Amy's attitude.

She sighed. "Yeah, I know. It's just kinda hard not to be."

"You weren't exactly hiding it well back there yourself," he added, referring to our interaction after our arrival. "Anyway, hope you two have a good night!" Sonic then said as he began walking away.

"Goodnight," we both replied to the hedgehog simply, him giving a thumbs-up before running away.

"Well, I gotta head home," Amy then said.

"Why don't I take you?" I asked. A wide smile grew on her face as she nodded at me. I scooped her up in my arms. "Alright, hold on," I told her before I began speeding off. It didn't take too long before I reached her front door, setting her down carefully. She appeared to be slightly disoriented.

"Maybe a little too fast," she said with a chuckle, losing her balance and falling onto me. "Thanks Shadow. Feels like I've been relying on you to catch me a lot recently."

"Always happy to do so," I replied. I heard Amy giggle lightly before lightly taking hold of my chest fur, pulling my face towards hers. We had our second kiss, once again just as the sun had begun to set. It was less intense and lengthy than last time, but all the passion was still there. We soon pulled away, a familiar joyous look on our faces. "Still meeting up tomorrow?" I asked.

"Definitely" Amy replied simply. "Goodnight, Shadow," she said in a loving way, one of her hands still in mine as she turned to open the door.

"And goodnight to you, my rose," I said back, noticing her face slightly go red before our hands separated and she closed the door behind her. She tried to hide it, but I could hear her almost screeching in happiness behind the door. I enjoyed lingering in that bit of pride for a moment before speeding off again. I reached home and made my way to the bedroom. Getting under my covers, the emotional, wonderful experience the day was washed over me. As I began to doze off, I feel like I can say that I went to sleep feeling at least a little bit happy.

* * *

 **HypernovaSonic- This chapters not exactly focused on what I assume people are probably here for. Apologies if it's not exactly what's wanted.**


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